Pu-OTTI 9, 90's Sheng Pu-erh

EDIT 1: here is the KEY. It is not visible in case you wanted a more blind tasting ... unless you press the Quote icon like you were going to quote my post. I have posted the KEY in an almost invisible font that will show up clearly in the quote window. The KEY is located directly below this line!

Here is the KEY ... this is intentionally mixed up from page 1 for those who want a more blind tasting.

As always, seating is very limited, so please PM your interest to me ASAP along with the requested information (see below). I am certain that the discussion will be as lively, interesting, enlightening, and educational as the last Pu-OTTI!

You will have to wait for a group photo as the last sample is expected to arrive Wednesday.

This is the second in a series of sheng OTTI's and promises to be an exciting one ... and educational as well!!! The first one was "new" sheng. This OTTI features 3 exceptional, very different, carefully picked selections that have had the benefit of careful (and different) aging for over 10 years. See the details on these 3 selections below.

Two TeaChat members receive kudos this time around. Brandon who pulled from his personal collection and Nada from Essense of Tea.

I usually have had prelim tastings at this point in an OTTI, but since the last sample is in transit, I have not yet this time, but the selections that are already here have beguiling aromas, I cannot wait to carefully break these apart!

As we go, I will attempt to offer more information, and others will hopefully enlighten us as well.

PLEASE NOTE, THESE NUMBERS DO NOT MATCH THE NUMBERS ON THE POUCHES, INTENTIONALLY. PLEASE READ THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS POST FOR THE "KEY" TO THE NUMBERS ON THE POUCHES!!!

Pu-erh 1 and 2 from Brandon. You can check out the link provided by Brandon and he will update this with some brewing video links he made as well.http://chahai.net/90s-puerh-tasting/

Brandon wrote:Menghai 1997 8582 "Wet Stored" - This classic Menghai recipe was stored in a more humid climate, resulting in a richer and smoother brew. And not many 'off' tastes as a result. Decent Cha Qi.

1990s Raw Puerh Brick - Stored in the dryer climate of Malaysia, this brick has a completely different flavor profile from the 8582. The leaves are pretty high quality for a brick. The brew is extremely thick, when brewed strong it may be astringent or aggressive. Color is dark orange, approaching red.

These are pretty extreme examples to highlight the differences. Both have big fans, both have their detractors. Which storage do you prefer?

Nada wrote:The first few infusions carry a slight bitterness - the remnants of a stronger youthful bitterness that tea from the Bulang region is famed for. This bitterness is mellowing with age and evolving into a thick smooth aged flavour. With the storage... this has been stored in Taiwan and is characteristic for teas stored in the region - neither too wet or too dry, with enough humidity to allow the teas to properly age, but still retain some complexity.

So, I hope you can join us for this exceptional 90's raw pu-erh OTTI. Please PM me asap if you are in! Include your full name, mailing address, and paypal email. If outside the USA, please include a phone number for customs! (if you do not have paypal, let me know)